


Minor Details

by captainquigley



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 19:05:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19751929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainquigley/pseuds/captainquigley
Summary: Ladybug will not stand for people badmouthing Chat Noir and Marinette loses her cool and slips up giving 1 blonde haired green eyed menace the clue he needed.Reveal fic. Ongoing development, may increase rating in later chapters?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, so this is the first thing I've ever written that has garnered any sort of attention at all. Originally posted to Tumblr under bubbleblower, I'm moving it here at reader request so people can subscribe to it. I really hope you all enjoy it, I've definitely enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> This is an ongoing project, I'm trying to post chapters every 1-2 days since they're relatively short. Thank you all for the kind comments!

Things were getting out of hand. Marinette sat in her room furiously typing, her computer open to the Ladyblog forums. She had checked the page curious to see the Parisian's reactions to the new superheros that had debuted in the last few days, but after only moments of reading found herself enraged beyond reason at what she was seeing.

Bugsnake1010: Like, who needs Chat Noir when Viperion is right there? RIGHT THERE?! He's 10x hotter and more capable than that dumb cat.

Buggin_0ut18: Right? Ladybug needs to ditch the leather clad loser sidekick for a partner that actually keeps his focus when confronting an akuma.

Foxy__Rouge: Puh~lease who needs any of the guys when the lovely Rena has her back #ladyfox #OTP But forreal any one of the new heros are better than Chat

Tikki had originally argued with Marinette when she set up the Ladybug_official account on Ladyblog, saying it was unsafe and that people might try and track the IP address she was posting from. But that's what a VPN was for, and honestly up until now Marinette hadn't used the profile very often. It was just a convenient way to send out important updates on the fly or to squash rumors and misinformation quickly. Now, however, it was a crucial platform for her to defend the honor of her kitty.

Ladybug_official: Please don't talk like that, guys, Chat Noir is one of the bravest and kindest people I have ever met. He is absolutely necessary to the team. I wouldn't be able to do half of what I do without him, he's my partner, I need him.

This was met, surprisingly, with taunts and uproar and rebuttals with lists of supposed mistakes that Chat had made. And over the next few minutes Marinette's replies had gotten less and less polite. Something, that soon had people questioning her identity.

Queen_Bee_Stan_Sabrina: How do we even know you're actually Ladybug? For all we know the ladyblogger operates that account in order to get more views. Surely the REAL Ladybug is smart enough to realize she'd be better off without 'Hack Noir'.

Marinette saw red, her hands curled into fists, she was literally shaking with rage. Without saying a word, she began feverishly moving about the room gathering blankets and clips and string. Tikki hovered worriedly over the keyboard, watching Marinette assemble a makeshift backdrop out of sheets and blankets.

"Calm down Marinette. They don't know what they're talking about. As long as you know the truth that's all that matters. Chat Noir knows you need him" Tikki said, attempting to placate the infuriated blue haired girl. 

Marinette didn't answer as she finished hanging the last sheet. She had created a makeshift tent over her compter that would shield her bedroom from the view of her webcam, preventing any nosy fans from identifying her by location.

"Tikki, Spots on" she growled, ignoring the whine from her Kwami as Tikki was swept magically into her earrings. 

A couple clicks later and she was live.

"Is this proof enough for you? I'm Ladybug. The one and only. And I'm telling you all that you're wrong about Chat Noir. He is, quite possibly, the most important member of the miraculous team. A couple of you have mentioned that I occasionally throw Chat at the Akuma to break a possessed item. Do you have any idea how much precision it takes to Cataclysm a specific item when being PHYSICALLY THROWN AT SOMEONE? I do. It's ridiculous. And if Chat wasn't so good at his job he might've missed and hit the Akumatized victim instead. But I still occasionally throw him anyway, and you know why? Because I know he wont miss! He's that good! I would trust Chat with my life. He has been my most loyal and stable Ally. And if you think for one minute..."

As Ladybug's rant continued, acrossed the city, in the glass walled bedroom of his mansion, Adrien Agreste stared slackjawed at his computer screen. His expression a mixture of horror, elation and awe. For Ladybug was live on the Ladyblog viciously defending Chat Noir; and there on Ladybug's desk, in plain sight, for all the world to see, was the lucky charm keychain that Adrien had made for Marinette.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien was going to have a heart attack. Could teenagers have heart attacks? He was pretty sure the only real requirement was to have a heart. And his was currently trying to escape his chest through his ribcage as he sat half frozen in his assigned seat for Mlle. Bustier's class. His eyes were trained on the door, despite his best efforts, watching for his blue haired classmate who seemed to be running late... again.

Behind him Alya was surrounded by what seemed like the whole class, her phone open to a recording of the forums last night and Ladybug's live appearance. 

"It was crazy, guys. She was so mad! And then in the middle of her rant the Chat Noir official account came on to type 'My Lady lookout!' and I mean just watch!" She pressed play.

Adrien didn't need to turn and see to know what had happened next, but he did anyway. His lady had been so fierce in that moment, whipping around to glare at the Akuma phasing through the walls of her tent with such outrage that the butterfly literally paused in it's tracks for a moment, giving her just enough time to grab her yoyo and de-evilise it. She had logged off immediately afterward. 

"I had to change the ladyblog rules to include no bashing on the heroes." Alya continued. " Those idiots almost got Ladybug Akumatized. Can you even imagine?" Adrien shuddered at the thought, that had been a seriously close call. 

"She's right though." A grave sounding voice chimed in from the doorway. "And how awful to think that Chat was live, seeing all the terrible things those people were saying." Adrien turned so fast he almost fell out of his chair. Marinette had paused right by his desk staring at the gathered students.

"You agree with Ladybug?" Sabrina stepped forward, to partially hide Chloe from view as she smirked meanly at Marinette.

"I do." 

If Adrien hadn't figured out that Marinette was Ladybug last night, he might have just then from the sheer amount malice packed into those two words. Chloe scoffed, and Adrien genuinely worried for her continued safety from the look that passed over Marinette's face. 

"Chat Noir risks his life protecting us just as much as Ladybug does. He deserves our respect just as much too. And honestly? She's the authority isn't she? There's a reason she chooses to work with Chat more often than the other heroes." Adrien could hear the edge of danger in her voice and risked a glance around the room worrying about the potential presence of another Akuma.

"Puh~lease, take it from an ACTUAL hero, Dupain-Chang. That dumb cat is practically useless." Adrien reached out and grabbed Marinette's shoulder as she lunged towards the blonde brat, a snarl on her face. 

"Mari, calm down. It's just Chloe running her mouth." She turned her righeous and indignant stare on him. 

"Do you agree with them?" She demanded. Adrien had never had the full force of her ire directed at him before. It was intimidating, even out of costume.

"Personally, I'm a fan. I think Chat Noir tries his best, even if he could probably stand to focus a bit more in missions." He fumbled as her face contorted in anger again. "But that's not to say that he at all deserved that slander last night. And honestly he's probably on cloud 9 right now with all the lovely things she said about him."

"Ugh. Adrikins, you try too hard to see the best in everyone. I don't see why Ladybug tolerates him. I mean Queen Bee is a way more competent hero, she really needs to open her eyes and upgrade. I mean, honestly." Adrien caught Marinette's arm as she tried to approach Chloe again. 

"Marinette, calm down. She's not worth it." She was ignoring him, struggling against his hold. He leaned closer as he watched another purple butterfly float in through the open window, and whispered. "Ladybug, calm down. There's another Akuma." 

He felt her freeze in his grasp, but his eyes stayed on the butterfly, that seemed to pause at the sudden lack of rage to direct it towards it's target. He chanced a glance down and was met with Marinette's lovely face in a look of such pure, complete, shock that he chuckled slightly as he pulled her non responsive body towards the classroom door as the class filed out of the room like they were trained to do in the presence of an Akuma looking for a victim.

"Leave it to Dupain-Chang to get so upset over Chat Noir that we have to cancel class." Chloe snapped as they walked. "Ridiculous. Utterly, ridiculous"

"Hey, why don't you shut up Chloe? First Ladybug and now Marinette? Leave it to people like you to get the literal kindest people in Paris so upset as to draw an Akuma to them. If anything it's ridiculous that you're even allowed to be a hero with how many people you get akumatized." Alya stepped forward in between Marinette and Chloe.

"Yeah dude, uncool. You need to back off." Nino stepped up next to her. 

"Puh~lease. It's not my fault Dupain-Chang can't keep her cool. Honestly with a temper like that it's no wonder that I'm the only hero in this class." 

The next few things happened too quick for anyone to stop. Alya growled and stepped threateningly towards Chloe, Nino yelled for Alya to look out, and a purple butterfly landed on the Ladybug keychain dangling from the phone in Alya's hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Adrien knew she was Ladybug. ADRIEN KNEW SHE WAS LADYBUG. Alya was being akumatized again but ADRIEN KNEW SHE WAS LADYBUG??!?!?! Marinette let herself be dragged down one hallway after another, too busy panicking to really pay attention to where they were going. Before too long they halted in front of a custodial closet, Marinette teetered a bit at the abrupt stop.

"This should do nicely, there's no-one around" Adrien said turning to meet the still panic stricken face of his friend. He smiled, so widely that it tipped up at the sides. "Marinette, snap out of it bugaboo, Alya needs you right now. You can transform in here" he said scooting her into the closet.

"What?!- But... Adri-.. I'm not.. How??" She spluttered as he closed the door. He paused, smiling softer now.

"Who else could she possibly be other than you?"

Marinette stood in the dark of the closet for a moment catching her breath. Tikki floated out of her purse, a serious expression on her face.

"I told you that was a bad idea, Marinette."

"I'm sorry Tikki, I'll figure out a way to fix this. But for now we need to transform and save Alya. Spots On!"

Ladybug dashed out into the commons, she had seen Alya transformed a couple of times now, both as Lady Wifi and as Rena Rage, but this form was new. Alya floated above the ground in a full suit of silver armor with red detailing, and was carrying a large shield in the shape of a Ladybug. Below her cowered most of the student body, eerily silent. In her other hand, held outstretched Chloe dangled limply in her grasp. As Ladybug tiptoed closer to get a better look Chloe turned her face away from Alya, tears rolling down her cheeks, her mouth and hands were completely missing.

Marinette must have gasped in terror, because Alya turned to face her. Alya's face was paler than Marinette had ever seen it, and her hair and eyes were both bright red.

"Alya.." she said, taking a step back from the Akuma.

"Alya isn't here. I'm the Defender. You verbally attacked innocent citizens on the Ladyblog last night, be prepared to never communicate again." 

Ladybug jumped and somersaulted out of the way as multiple jets of red light shot towards her from the center of the shield. Great, another ranged weapon Akuma who could fly. If Alya hit her, she wouldn't be able to summon her lucky charm, or cast the miraculous ladybugs to fix the damage the akuma caused. The Akuma seemed to sense Ladybug's distress firing round after round of energy at her, not giving her a moment to rest. Oh, how she hoped Chat showed up soon.

"Funny, I thought the phrase was 'Cat's got your tongue' not Ladybug." A familiar and incredibly welcome voice commented as Chat bounded into the room, extending his staff and knocking the Defender sideways.

"Chat!" Ladybug crowed, the relief evident in her voice. "The Akuma is in her shield. We've gotta work quickly on this one so she can't take away our ability to summon our powers. Lucky Charm!"

Chat nodded knocking the Defender sideways again before summoning his own

"Cataclysm!"

Marinette's summoned object fell back into her hands.

"A hand mirror?" She looked helplessly around the room. Chat's hand and the Akuma's shield both lit up in polkadots. Just then Alya got a hit in, sending Chat flying past Marinette, a jet of red light following him at a rapid pace. Jumping into action, Marinette held up the mirror in one hand, reflecting the beam back at the Defender, and with her other lassoed Chat with her yoyo slingshotting him back as well. 

The Defender ducked down, raising her shield above her head to deflect the beam, putting her Akumatized object right into Chat's trajectory. Just as Marinette had known would happen, Chat slapped his hand down onto the shield, disintegrating it with his power, releasing the butterfly for Ladybug to purify.

"Pound it!" Ladybug grinned holding her fist out as the magical Ladybugs rushed around the room. Chat smiled back engaging in their ritual, and they both jumped out onto the roof of the school.

"That might have been the fastest we've ever stopped an Akuma My Lady. Well done."

"I couldn't have done it without you Mon minou" Chat's smile softened.

"You didn't have to defend me like that last night you know. I know what people say about me behind my back, and they aren't always wrong. It means a lot to know how you feel about me, but it's not worth getting Akumatized over." He sighed, slipping into a sitting position with one leg dangling off the roof. Marinette huffed dramatically, throwing herself carelessly down next to him.

"I meant every word, Chaton. They're wrong. You're the best hero I know of. And I can't stand to hear them say such horrible things about you. Especially since..." Marinette swallowed guiltily. "Especially since I'm actually the screw up."

"My lady?" Chat began, an edge to his voice that conveyed both confusion and a willingness to argue the point.

"Oh, Chat. I really messed up. Someone discovered my identity. I thought I had been careful last night hiding my room from view of the camera. But I must've missed something or let something slip, because he knew who I was today when I came to class." Chat tried very hard to look natural and concerned, but he wasn't quite sure he managed it.

"He? Who is this guy? Are you in danger? Would he tell the press or anything?" Chat managed to ask, proud that he didn't fumble over his words.

"Oh, no!" Ladybug said, shaking her head vehemently. "Not Adrien. He's the most thoughtful and trustworthy boy I know. He would never intentionally endanger me. In fact if he wasn't so busy with his modeling I would have offered him a miraculous long ago." Chat could not contain his grin, getting to hear Marinette defend both of his selves in a single day. She really was just the nicest person he'd ever met.

"Modelling, huh? You wouldn't be talking about Adrien Agreste would you?" For the second time that day, Marinette froze solid in shock and horror. "So this is your school then, huh?"

With a groan, Marinette buried her face in her hands. Chat laughed outright.

"Well, Bugaboo, I know I've wondered a few times if we knew eachother in real life, and it seems I may have been right." He winked at her as she peeked through her fingers. "Don't worry. If this guy is really as great as you say, then your secret is probably safe. In the meantime you should probably pay closer attention to these minor details you keep letting slip" He tugged gently on the end of one of her pigtails, just as their miraculouses started to beep. "Cat-ch you later My Lady" he said pole vaulting off across the roof top. 

Marinette watched him go, readying her own escape from the roof.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette was banging her head on the edge of a table in the library, sitting alone, when Adrien found her. Her phone lying face up on the table, a scene from Alya's recording paused on it.

"Hi Marinette!" He said cheerfully, as loud as he dared, as he sat down next to her. She yelped in surpise and flailed, nearly tipping her chair over, but Adrien just calmly grabbed the chair and set her to rights still grinning up a storm. Marinette, to her credit, took a deep calming breath before facing him, a grim look on her face.

"I left your good luck charm on my desk" she said flatly.

"You left my good luck charm on your desk" he confirmed, still just as chipper. Marinette groaned, letting her head rest on the table, the pitiful noise causing Adrien to laugh out loud. 

"Cheer up, Marinette, it's not a problem. I'm not going to tell anyone. And hey, now you have someone who can help cover for you when you have to run off to change." Marinette turned her head, not raising it from the table, to look at Adrien out of the corner of her eye. "For what it's worth, I'm really glad it's you." Being bold for a moment he reached out and grabbed her hand, causing a blush to appear on her cheeks. She sat up, rubbing her forehead lightly where she had been smacking it against the furniture.

"Adrien? Why- I mean- Um. What did you mean earlier, when you said 'who else would she be but me'? I mean. If you only found out because of the charm? It's not like I'm like her, I mean me?, when I'm out of the suit?"

"Are you kidding? The moment I saw the charm I felt so, SO stupid for not having seen it before. You're so brave and kind and compassionate. Heck, I had even called you my every day Ladybug. And these?" He said, tugging gently on the end of Marinette's ponytail, the action feeling oddly familiar. "These are not subtle. It was this absolute moment of like Oh. Duh! Of course that's who you are. And now that I've seen it, I can't believe I ever missed it." Adrien's face was red by the time he was done speaking, and his mouth felt kind of dry. At some point during his speech one of them had shifted and now their faces were just entirely too close to each other to be friendly. Marinette was also flushed, the red of her cheeks making her freckles stand out, little ladybug polkadots of her own.

"I-i" she started.

"ADRIKINS! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. Ugh, what are you doing here with Dupain-Cheng? Nevermind. You have GOT to come with me to my daddy's hotel you'll never BELIEVE who is staying there!" Chloe had Adrien by the arm and half way out of the library before either he or Marinette could react. Adrien pulled back slightly half falling down to counter Chloe's insistent tugging.

"I- uh- Chlo, wait. Marinette, can we meet up later?" 

"Uh, sure! Yeah!" Marinette said, shaking her head to clear it. "I'll you text it about. I mean I'lltextyouaboutit. Later. I'll text you about it later?"

"Great!" He grinned again as Chloe yanked him from the room.

A familiar thud followed them out of the room as Marinette dropped her head to the table again.

-

Back at home, later that evening, Marinette was trying valiantly to keep up with her two closest friends as they both ranted at her. Tikki and Alya.

"That was completely irresponsible Marinette. Nobody is supposed to know who Ladybug is, and now we're going to have to tell Master Fu."

Alya: OMG I have HAD it with the ladyblog forums. I've had to suspend about a dozen people who refuse to accept the new rule.

"All because you were too upset to pay attention to your surroundings. AND you were almost Akumatized TWICE!"

Alya: I don't even get it. Ladybug herself told them they were wrong and they wont shut up!

"I know you were just trying to stick up for Chat Noir, but Marinette this is a big mess! What if Adrien wasn't the only one who noticed? You carry that charm around with you everywhere. Anyone could have seen it!"

Alya: But all that aside you know what this means? LADYBUG ACTUALLY FOLLOWS THE LADYBLOG! I totally thought she made that profile just to be nice! But she actually uses it! I'm dying Marinette! DYING"

Marinette was slumped in her chair looking thoroughly done with the whole situation.

"Tikki. It's not that bad, it's just Adrien. He already said he's not going to tell anyone." The little red kwami did not look impressed. Her phone buzzed again.

Adrien: When do you want to meet up? 😺😺

Marinette sat up abruptly, knocking a stack of books off her desk, almost dropping her phone.

"Aah! It's Adrien! What do I do?!" Tikki gave her the most baleful look she could manage.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get any help from that corner she screencapped the message and sent it to Alya with a message that consisted entirely of exclamation points.

Alya: Omg! What?! What are you guys meeting up for?"

"Ah crap. I did not think that one through." She said biting the edge of her phone. Tikki gave her a significant look. That had been a running theme lately.

Marinette: I may have offered to help him get caught up on his homework. He's been missing a lot lately thanks to his photoshoots and I just couldn't say no.

Alya: 😂😂😂 Girl you get yourself in the funniest situations! Just remember to take down the million pictures of him in your room before you invite him over.

Marinette looked around the room in despair. That was going to take some effort. She really needed to stop putting them back up every time things like this came up.

Marinette: 😩😩

Straightening her shoulders, she switched back to Adrien's message only to find that he had sent another.

Adrien: Are you leaving me on read? 😿

Marinette: NO!  
Marinette: No. Sorry. I had to ask my parents when it would be okay to have you over! Would tomorrow after school be okay?

Adrien: 😹 I was joking Mari. Tomorrow should be fine, I'll tell Nathalie that you're helping me catch up on homework. 

Marinette: Great! That's great! See you then?

Adrien: Definitely. Goodnight Maribug 🐞

Marinette: Goodnight!

Marinette collapsed off her chair. Tikki, realizing that further attempts to chastise her would go nowhere, zoomed off to her pillow grumpily. After taking a few deep breaths failed to calm herself down Marinette climbed out onto her balcony, hoping that the night air would soothe her nerves.

She was only out there for a moment or two, when a black shape landed on the low wall next to her.

"Good evening Purr-incess." Chat Noir greeted her, grinning his cheshire cat smile.


	5. Chapter 5

"Chat Noir!" Marinette jumped and stumbled into one of her plants, startled. "What are you doing out here? Was there an akuma?" She knew the answer was no, but she couldn't figure out why else he'd be here of all places. They were supposed to be patrolling soon.

"Oh no, nothing like that." He replied, slinking down onto her balcony. "Ladybug and I have patrol here soon and I just thought I'd swing by for a moment and say hello to my favorite civilian, if she's not too busy that is?" He tipped his head to the side, looking hopeful. Marinette smiled.

"Awe. Well hi then." Marinette paused, hesitating for a moment before asking. "I saw some of the havoc on the Ladyblog last night, are you doing okay?" Chat sighed, leaning against the railing of the balcony.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I mean, it sucks that people feel that way about me. But it just means I need to try a little harder. And it was really nice having LB jump to my defense like that. I'm worried about her though, getting so upset like that.. I don't know if you know it, but she's the only one who can purify the butterflies. Her getting Akumatized is just about the scariest thing I can imagine." Chat Noir looked briefly terrified, which made Marinette's insides twist uncomfortably in shame.

" I'm sure she realized her mistake. Though I can't blame her, those people were really out of line. I can't imagine Ladybug without you by her side. It just wouldn't be right." Chat's smile returned, a little shy, but then he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Actually, I couldn't help but notice when you walked out here you seemed a little stressed out yourself. Are you doing alright?" Marinette groaned a little, leaning on the railing as well.

"Yeah, sort of. I just have this guy coming over tomorrow to hang out and I'm nervous about it. I always seem to make a fool out of myself in front of him. So I came out here hoping to calm my nerves."

"Nervous huh?" Chat grinned mischeviously. "Does someone have a crush?" Marinette glared at him for a moment before smirking.

"Well I had to find someone new to lavish my affections on, since Chat Noir broke my heart!" Her voice was a mix of exaggerated woe and sarcasm, as she hammed up the moment by swooning and placing the back of her hand to her forhead in an affectation of a distressed damsel. Chat laughed out loud at the performance, responding with equal hilarity.

"Oh no! Say it isn't true. My princess hath moved on?" He clutched his chest dramatically, his face a caricature of distress.

"I'm afraid so." She said solemnly. "For how could I possibly compete with the lovely Ladybug for your heart?" Chat found himself almost literally biting his tongue at this to keep from giving himself away. Compete with Ladybug indeed. Instead he smiled softly, sincere for a moment.

"Oh I don't know, I'd say you stack up pretty well." Marinette blushed at this, startled at the change in tone. "Honestly, My Lady has turned me down so many times. Maybe I should consider moving on myself." He reached out, and toyed with the end of Marinette's pigtail, looking thoughtful. A clever grin stole over his face a moment later though. "After all you are quite the cat-ch"

For her part Marinette didn't look like she could possibly get any redder, and if her eyes got any bigger they were bound to fall out of her head, but she groaned a little at the pun out of pure reflex. Chat grinned wide, cackling internally at her reaction.

"Well Princess, unfortunately it's time for me to take my leave." He grabbed her hand, bowing low over it and kissing the back of it. "Goodnight Marinette" 

A moment later he had disappeared, vaulting over the Paris skyline.

Marinette muffled a scream into her fists, collapsing hard onto the ground.

"Tikki!" She wailed, causing the kwami to appear from behind a fern. She floated over to where Marinette had buried her face in her hands, and patted the poor girl consolingly on the head.  
"Tikki, he can't give up on me only to then pursue also ME"

"Well you did confess to him Marinette, after Ladybug has said no for so long it's not a surprise he'd consider looking elsewhere."

"He's NOT looking elsewhere." 

"But he doesn't know that. I don't know Marinette, but you're going to be late for patrol at this rate." Marinette groaned again, letting her head thunk back against a wall.

"You don't think Bunnix would give me a 24 hour do-over do you?" The kwami shook her head sympathetically. Marinette sighed.

"Ugh. Spots on then."

-

"You're late." Chat Noir greeted her, as Ladybug touched down next to him on their perch atop the Eiffel tower. He was leaning casually propped up on his baton, looking for all the world as though he'd been waiting for hours, thoigh Marinette knew it had been at most 10 minutes.

"I got held up, sorry." She said, avoiding eye contact, unsure if she could keep a straight face if she didn't. "Are you ready to head out?" She saw Chat nod out of the corner of her eye, and tossed her yoyo out and lept.

It was calming, patrolling the city. Marinette felt the stress and worry of the day melt away as she lost herself in the rhythmic toss, pull, swing of her transportation. Ever so often she'd glimpse Chat as he leapt into view, but for the most part it was quiet. Almost as though she had the entire city to herself. 

After about an hour they completed their route and landed once again on the tower. Ladybug was feeling far more collected, and didn't hesitate to smile at Chat when he landed.

"You've been awful quiet tonight minou." She commented, sitting down on a beam and letting her legs dangle. "Something wrong?" Chat joined her frowning slightly.

"Yes, something is definitely wrong. I can think of like 3 puns you could have put in that question. We really need to work on your sense of humor my lady." Ladybug rolled her eyes and elbowed Adrien in the side.

"My sense of humor is perfectly fine, which is why there was a lack of puns."

"Don't you mean 'purr-fectly'?" He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Ladybug grimaced playfully and then laughed.

"Seriously though, Chat. Something on your mind?" Adrien forced his smile to droop a little, and he scratched behind his ear awkwardly. 

"Sort of? I don't know, it might be a little weird to talk to you about it though."

"You can tell me anything kitty, you know that."

"Well.." he started, hesitating deliberately to make himself seem reluctant. "It's about a girl." Ladybug's eyes widened in shock, and Adrien winced. Even though he knew that Marinette was Ladybug, just implying that he might have moved on made him feel awful. She cleared her throat.

"A girl?" She inquired, looking incredibly wary.

"Yeah, a girl. She's a civilian, I've saved her a couple of times, Marinette Dupain-Cheng? We've kind of become friends, and I think I might have feelings for her." He bowed his head, glancing at Ladybug. "I mean, you've turned me down in no uncertain terms, and I respect that. So I've been trying to get over you so it wouldn't affect our partnership. But it's still weird for me to acknowledge my feelings for her when ive been in love with you for so long." Ladybug, to her credit, was trying so SO hard to keep her expression neutral. Her face was bright red, and Adrien was pretty sure her eyelid was twitching. He bit his lower lip to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape.

"A civilian, Chat?" She asked, her voice wavering only slightly. "Are you sure that's safe? Aren't you worried Hawkmoth will target her to get at you?" Adrien shrugged.

"I wasn't planning on asking her out in costume. I kind of thought I might approach her as my civilian self." It was getting so difficult to not laugh when he looked at Ladybug. He was pretty sure she was about to have an aneurysm with how hard she was trying to seem nonchalant.

"Your civilian self? So you're going to do what? Orchestrate some sort of random meeting with her and try to sweep her off her feet? Some boy she's never met before?" After a deep breath to calm his urge to laugh hysterically, Adrien let himself grin.

"That's actually not a bad idea LB. Like a meet-cute out of a movie. It's the purr-fect way to break the ice. Chat-ting her up afterward should be a cinch." Ladybug's eye twitch was fully visible by now and had navigated to her eyebrows as well. Adrien took one last long look to memorize her expression and then stretched and yawned exaggeratedly. "Well it's purr-etty late my lady. Thank you for the claw-some advice. But I'm feline pretty tired and should probably bw kitten home soon." He smirked at he, standing up and offering her a hand up. She grumbled under her breath as she accepted. 

"Goodnight Chat."

"Goodnight LB"

Marinette touched down on her balcony like she was walking to her death. She dropped down into her bedroom, and faceplanted onto her bed. Mumbling 'spots off' into her pillow.

Tikki appeared in a flash of pink light.

The kwami floated above Marinette's head looking kind of stunned at how fast this all spun out of control. She knew who Chat Noir was, and he was obviously messing with her holder, but she couldn't say anything to Marinette thanks to her and Plagg's vow of silence. 

"Well... that happened." She said quietly, looking up at the skylight.

Marinette screamed into her pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Marinette stared at the door to her balcony and contemplated whether or not she could convince her parents to let her stay home sick from school. When her mom came up to make sure she was getting ready, Marinette's weak attempt at coughing was met with an unamused eyebrow raise and a reminder to hop to it lest she be late.

Marinette slowly got ready for the day. Each movement slowed with reluctance, her feet dragged with dread, and her expression never wavered far from a resigned grimace. Both her and Tikki kept oddly silent through the whole production, the kwami shooting her a concerned look before flying to her usual spot in Marinette's handbag. 

She was on high alert the moment she stepped down into the bakery. Expecting the appearance of an unknown boy barreling intonher life at any moment. By the time she walked into the school her nerves were completely frazzled. Every noise caused her to jump, every person in her peripheral vision potentially Chat Noir waiting to pounce.

"I bet this is how mice feel." She grumbled under her breath, scrubbing her hand across her face in agitation as she opened her locker. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, simultaneously relieved and anxious about the lack of Chat's appearance that morning. After all, that just meant she still didn't know when he was going to turn up.

-

Adrien hid behind the row of lockers waiting for his opportunity. He'd looked at about a hundred lists of meet-cute tropes last night after patrol, and he knew he only had one shot to get this right. He heard her locker shut, a few footsteps, and launched himself around the corner just as she reached it, toppling them both to the ground and causing her school supplies to fly everywhere. He fell purposely so she landed on top, cushioning the fall with his body. 

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm such a klutz, I'm-" she stopped when she noticed who it was she had tackled.  
"Adrien?!" Her voice had risen an octave and he watched the nature of their positon, her straddling him their faces inches apart, dawn on her. 

"Good morning Marinette." He said smiling happily. She jumped up off him like she had been scalded, her face abruptly reddening. 

"Good Adrien, Morning.. Morning! GOOD MORNING ADRIEN!" She babbled trying desperately to gather her things. Adrien rose from the ground, helping her pick up her books, deliberately reaching for the last one at the same time so their fingers would brush. She jumped, snatching her hand away. He chuckled, grabbing the book.

"Here, let me carry these for you" he said, gently liberating the things she had picked up from her grasp and holding out his arm in an old fashioned manner to escort her to class. Marinette stared blankly at him for a moment before Alya made a positively inhuman noise from across the room where she had been talking to Nino and dashed up to grab Marinette's hand and place it through the crook of his arm where it belonged.

"Thanks for the asist Alya" he said with a wink to Marinette, and gently tugged the shell shocked girl towards their classroom. He walked her all the way to her seat, and set her belongings neatly on her desk. When he looked back up at her she was staring in awe at the hand he had held and flexing it. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Actually, Marinette I'm glad I ran into you this morming." He grinned widely as he punned. "My dad has a fitting scheduled for me after school so I can't make it to our plans today. But I cleared my schedule for Friday evening if that works %for you? I thought maybe I could take you out for dinner, or ice cream, or both as a thank you for helping me with my homework." Alya squealed again from her seat, Adrien had to bite his lip to keep a straight face again. It looked like he may have broken Marinette. She was staring at him, pink cheeked, not giving any indication that she had even heard him. Just when he was starting to worry Alya popped over, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Yes. She says yes. That sounds like a great plan." She shook Marinette lightly, which seemed to snap her out of it.

"Yeah Adrien, I would love you. To! To..I would love to... go to dinner with you.. for homework.. Yes." Adrien was saved from trying not to laugh while he answered by Mlle. Bustier entering the room. So he just smiled at her instead and turned around taking his seat.

Alya had a death grip on Marinette's arm, and was still shaking her slightly in excitement even though she had sat down. Marinette stealthily pulled her phone out, making sure their teacher was occupied elsewhere.

Marinette: Calm down, it's not a date. We're just doing homework.

Alya: He asked you out to DINNER. It's a DATE.

Marinette: He's just being nice.

Alya: I am coming over tonight and we are picking out the perfect outfit for you to wear on your totally-a-date with Adrien.

Marinette: You don't have to do that.

Alya: This is not up for debate.

Marinette chewed nervously on the end of her pencil. She had no idea what Adrien might actually want to talk about. Their conversation about her being Ladybug was cut short last time. The whole situation had Marinette on edge even without her hormones going crazy. She had no idea how she was going to manage talking to him and eating at the same time without clumsily making a huge mess. This was going to be a disaster. Her phone buzzed again. It opened to a group text:

To: Mylene; Juleka; Rose; Alix

Alya: ADRIEN JUST ASKED MARINETTE OUT TO DINNER AND ICE CREAM ON FRIDAY! CODE RED! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ⚠️⚠️🚨🚨🚨

Marinette was absolutely going to get a concussion from all of this head-desking lately.

\- 

Alya had come home with Marinette directly after school that day, unwilling to miss even a moment of the excitement. After dealing with Alya's enthusiasm all day on top of her anxiety about Chat, Marinette had escaped with the excuse of needing food in order to go on, leaving Alya in her room. After spending a few moments breathing deeply in the bakery's kitchen, the sugar-laden air comforting and familiar, she felt calm enough to face her friend's well-intended meddling. Marinette climbed the stairs to her room carrying a tray of snacks for her and Alya to munch on while they waited for the other girls to show up for 'Operation First Date-drien', a name she had protested vehemently. 

She pushed open the door to her room, looking down and focusing on not dropping the platter.

"We were out of chocolate macarons, but dad says there'll be another batch we can steal in about 15 min-" Marinette stopped when she looked up and saw Alya. 

She was sitting on the edge of Marinette's couch, her face as white as a sheet. In one hand she held her phone, it was this she was staring at like she'd seen a ghost, in her other hand was Adrien's good luck charm. Alya looked up, her eyes meeting Marinettes. 

The tray of snacks dropped from her hands clattering loudly on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alya, I... I can explain." Marinette panicked, shutting her bedroom door behind her. "It... it's not."

"If you were Ladybug, you wouldn't even tell me, to protect me from the baddies.." She looked back at the screen. "You said that the night my sisters got Akumatized. I... I hadn't even considered that you might've meant that."

Marinette stood perfectly still, unable to tell if Alya was mad, or just shocked.

"You misdirected me so many times. Ladybug dropped a history book from our class. The voice analysis showed that she was a girl our age. I was looking for a girl who was always late, or made excuses to be absent during attacks. But for some reason I always just thought you were scared." She sounded so bewildered, and a little sad, Marinette moved closer.

"Alya.. " she tried again, only to be cut off.

"You were more upset about Chloe playing Ladybug in Clara Nightingale's music video than you were about her being with Adrien. But you didn't want to put on the mask because you were afraid of being recognized. You kept saying Lila was lying about being Ladybug's best friend, you insisted with a fervor that seemed like you were personally offended, but couldn't give me proof without revealing yourself." Marinette sighed, there was no backing out of this.

"Yeah." She said quietly, sitting on the bed next to Alya. Alya faced her, just looking at her, her head cocked off to the side as if trying to see Ladybug on Marinette's face.

"You risked your life for me so many times." She said, a little bit of awe creeping into her voice. "You saved me from the pharoh, from puppeteer, from being lady wifi. You fought my big sister to save me when she became Anansi. You even saved my little sisters when they became the sapo-" Alya paused mid sentence, shock briefly crossing her face, her eyes tearing up slightly. "You.. you gave me Trixx. You made me Rena Rouge. I assumed it was just because I was a convenient choice at the time, and that I had just done a good enough job that Ladybug decided to keep letting me help rather than having to explain it all to someone else. But it was you, you're Ladybug.. So that means... I can't believe you found a way to share this with me even though you couldn't tell me."

"You're my best friend, Alya." Marinette shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Marinette squeaked in surprise as she was suddenly swept up in a rib-crushing hug. Alya stood, lifting her into the air and twirled.

"I'm your best friend. I'm Ladybug's best friend. LADYBUG IS MY BEST FRIEND" both girls were laughing, tears streaming down their faces when they stopped spinning. 

"You're not mad?" Marinette asked, hopefully, still fearing the worst.

"Mad?? How could I be mad?" Alya replied "Not only is Ladybug the best person I know, both in and out of the mask, but the only reason I didn't know the truth is because I under estimated my own best friend. I mean, honestly girl, now that I know?" She gestured at Marinette's hair. "Not subtle." Marinette grimaced. They stood there for a moment more, both looking like they had so much to say but not knowing where to start.  
Alya opened her mouth, but before any sound could come out, the bedroom door opened and the other girls poured into the room.

"Hiii!" Rose sang, Juleka silently smiling behind. "What happened here?" Mylene followed gesturing to the food all over the floor. Alya and her both looked at the huge mess, as though just noticing it for the first time. Marinette groaned in frustration, making the other girls laugh as they all helped clean it up.

\- 

Across town Adrien wasn't panicking at all. Nope. Certainly not. His entire wardrobe wasn't strewn across his room in a manner that would probably give his fans a heart attack, to say nothing of what his father might say. And he definitely had not run his hands through his hair so many times it was in worse disarray than Chat usually wore. 

"I have nothing to wear." He said looking up at the celing in defeat. "My dad is the foremost designer in Paris, and I, his model son, have no clothes. None. Not one single article of clothing appropriate to wear on a date with Marinette." 

"This is why I love cheese." Plagg said from the platter of camembert on the edge of Adrien's desk."cheese doesn't care if you're naked when you eat it." 

"Not helpful." Adrien said, throwing a balled up sock at his kwami, which phased right through. Plagg sighed, floating over to his distressed holder.

"Did it ever occur to you, that maybe she likes you, not your clothes?" He said dangling in front of Adrien's face. Adrien smiled a little.

"I know that, Plagg. I just want this to be perfect, and Marinette is really into fashion. It would feel like i wasn't trying if I just wore the same thing I always do." He scritched the black cat behind the ears. Plagg purred for a moment, and then zipped away a determined look on his face.

"Well, look I don't know one piece of human clothes from the next. But isn't fashion what your dad does? I know it's a long shot that he'd help, but maybe it would be worth a try?" Adrien looked around at the mess he had made with a small frown.

"Maybe you're right. I mean after all, if he says no It's not like I'd be worse off than I am now." He ran his hand through his hair again. "But i should probably clean this up before I do, he'd have kittens if he saw this." 

"An insult to cats everywhere" Plagg grumbled under his breath, swooping down to help clean, one article of clothing at a time.

About a half an hour later, Adrien tiptoed towards his fathers office. Getting around his bodyguard had been easy, but Nathalie was seated at her desk in front of Gabriel's office. Adriend hid behind a corner cupping Plagg near his face.

"Okay Plagg, I need a distraction. Can yo-"

"I'm on it." Plagg zoomed out of his hands before Adrien could finish, much to Adrien's chagrin.

"Please don't Cataclysm anything!" He whispered urgently. A moment later a shattering sound drew Nathalie's attention. As she got up to investigate, Adrien slipped behind her and into his father's office.

Gabriel was facing the avante garde painting of Emilie with his hands held out to two spots. He jumped and turned quickly around when he heard the door.

"Nathalie! I told you I was not to be distur-" his eyes widened when he saw his son. "Adrien, how did you get in here?" Adrien shrugged, a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry father, I know you're busy. I was just hoping to get your advice on something." Gabriel seemed to shake off his surprise, and sat behind his desk. He hesitated for a moment but then gestured for Adrien to sit across from him.

"Alright, what seems to be the problem?" Adrien sat nervously.

"Do you remember my friend from school, Marinette?"

"The one who won the hat making contest? Yes, she has some real talent. Why?"

"Well, she's the one I'm meeting up with on friday to catch up on homework with, and I'm a little nervous. I really like her, and I'm hoping to try and impress her a little. Since she's really into fashion, and is a big fan of yours, I was hooing you'd help me pick out an outfit to wear for it." Gabriel narrowed his eyes, watching his son twitch uncomfortably in his chair.

"Adrien, is this a date you're going on?" Adrien gulped.

"M-maybe? I mean we're going to be working on homework, but it's a friday night, and I offered to treat her to dinner as a thank you." Gabriel looked sternly for a bit longer. 

"Alright." He said finally, standing up from his desk. "Let's go take a look at your closet." Adrien looked up at him in shock, hesitating in his seat.

"You- you mean it? Oh, thank you father!" He jumped up, excitedly following his dad from the room. 

As the room emptied, Plagg floated out from behind a table he had hidden behind. 

"What have we here?" He said quietly, floating to the areas of the painting Gabriel had been touching. The canvas had been cut deliberately around 2 sets of triangles, almost imperceptible unless you were extremely close to it. "Buttons?" He asked to the empty room. 

He phased through the painting, this time ignoring the vault that he had seen before, knowing that it was accessible without buttons. Instead he followed the wiring coming from the buttons themselves down through the wall where they met with the floor and connected to a telescoping door and an elevator shaft just big enough to hold a single person. Plagg's tail twitched apprehensively as he followed the tunnel down.


	8. Chapter 8

Friday dawned bright and warm. Alya could feel it in the bags under her eyes, the fatigue in her limbs, and the frazzled certanity of her thoughts as she looked at the breadth of her notes on Ladybug and Chat Noir strewn across her desk. 

Learning that Marinette was Ladybug changed everything. Statements she had taken as fact from Lila could no longer be used. Things she had witnessed with her own eyes couldn't be trusted. After all she had seen Marinette and Ladybug side by side when Alix had been Akumatized. Now she realized that was because Marinette had literally gone back in time thanks to the Akuma's powers. Theoretically meaning that she could have seen Chat in the same space as his civilian self too and not known it. 

She had texted Marinette last night and been told for real that she didn't know who he was. But Alya? Oh she was gonna find out. She had put it together long ago that Chat Noir also went to their school, there were too many coincidences for that to not be true. Chat knew people's names without needing to be told, he showed up even during akumas that had walled off the school from the outside world, and he frequently showed up before it was possible for anyone to have gotten the word out that an akuma had appeared. She needed answers, and she had a pretty good idea of who to start asking questions. Centered on a page in her journal, in big black letters, circled and triple underlined: ADRIEN AGRESTE.

She grabbed a bagel, hugged her sisters, and ran out the door determined to get to school before a certain blonde haired green eyed model.

\- 

The boy in question, unaware that he had been found out, was checking the outfit his father had picked for him for what had to be the 20th time that morning.

"Kid. Stop pacing. You're putting me off my cheese." Plagg complained from his pocket. 

"Sorry, Plagg." Adrien replied, shaking himself to a stop. "I'm just nervous."

"You'll be fine." Plagg said, unusually sincere. "You already know she likes you, all of you. So all you need to do is be yourself and everything will work out." Adrien smiled at him, scritching the top of his head. 

"Thanks Plagg. I really needed to hear that." Plagg purred lightly, something he didn't do often. But he knew it made Adrien happy when he did, and after what he found, he was going to give this kid every moment of happiness he could. 

"Alright." Adrien said, straightening his shoulders. "I can do this. Let's go." Plagg hunkered down in his pocket as Adrien headed out. He was not looking forward to the conversation he needed to have with Tikki today.

\- 

Across town Marinette wasn't handling things nearly as well.

"It's friday. Tikki it's FRIDAY." She sat bolt upright in bed, startling the little red bug, who rolled off her pillow barely catching herself before she hit the ground.

The whole morning was a roller coaster between excited daydreaming.

"And then he'll whisk me away and we'll get married have 3 kids and a hamster."

And panicked despair.

"BUT WHAT IF I TRIP AND KNOCK INTO A WAITER WHO SPILLS EVERYTHING ON ADRIEN AND THEN HE'LL HATE ME FOREVER BECAUSE IM SO CLUMSY AND I'LL DIE ALONE! TIKKI I CAN'T DO THIS!"

Tikki, for her part, watched the meltdown with her usual combination of polite exasperation and cheerful encouragement.

"Marinette, calm down. Adrien is your friend. You know he likes you just the way you are. Just take a deep breath and be yourself and you'll do just fine." Marinette took a deep breath letting out in a raspberry.

"I'm sorry Tikki, I'm just so nervous." 

"It's okay. But remember, we also need to go talk to Master Fu before your date. What he has to say may make a huge difference on how it goes." Marinette's face fell.

"I know."

For the second time that week, Marinette left the house a huge mess of nerves.

-

Alya hid just out of sight of the front door of the school, watching for Adrien's arrival. Her journal clutched in her hands, videos pulled and waiting on her phone. As she waited, Lila walked past holding court with Max, Kim, Rose and Juleka.

"It was so funny. Ladybug and I were hanging out last night, and you'll never guess the story she told me about her and Chat Noir! I'll give you a hint, it involves their REAL first kiss, which WASN'T the one posted to the Ladyblog during your akuma, Kim"

Alya gritted her teeth, crushing her notes in her hands a bit. Now that she knew the truth, she could see why Marinette hated Lila so much. Alya mentally added taking Lila down to her rapidly growing to-do list.

-

Adrien fiddled nervously with the strap of his bag, his leg bouncing in the back seat of the car. Traffic was moving slowly, and he could see the Gorilla tensing up with every honk and sudden stop. He was going to be late at this point.

"Hey, I can just walk from here, you should take the next left and get out of this traffic jam" He took the grunt he recieved in response as an agreement and jumped out of the car.

-

Marinette, running late again, sprinted across an intersection and knocked elbows with a blonde boy she didn't know. She caught herself on a lamp post, just barely staying upright. But he was sent sprawling. A wave of dread swept her when he looked up at her with green eyes.

She had forgotten she was supposed to be watching out for civilian Chat Noir.

-

Gabriel Agreste wasted no time descending into Hawkmoth's lair once his son had left for school. He had much to prepare.

His son's first date would no doubt leave plenty of broken hearts in it's wake, and already he could feel it was the kind of day where tensions were running high. He briefly paused at his wife's casket, laying a hand reverently against the glass. Then he took his position in the center of the room, the windowshade parascoping outwards revealing the butterfly motifed window.

He grinned with malice as white butterflies rose in a cloud around him.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!"


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette's existential crisis only overshadowed her natural instinct to help people for a moment. Before she knew it she was over grabbing the boy's hand, helping him up and reaching for the bag he had dropped.

"I'm so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going. I'm just late for school, not that that's an excuse and I-" she cut herself off, noticing that the boy was chuckling.

"It's okay, clumsy girl. No harm done." He smiled, it was wide and tipped up at the corners. /Clumsy girl/ Marinette felt her stomach twist unpleasantly. 

"Well, sorry again I've gotta run. Late you know." Marinette panickedly pressed the boy's bag into his chest and turned tail and ran. Leaving the bemused blonde standing on the sidewalk, a small smile on his face.

Luckily she didn't have far to go as she dashed up the steps and into the building, not noticing Alya in her hiding spot.

-

"Alya?" A voice behind her made her jump about a foot in the air. She flailed and dropped her journal, papers flying everywhere. Adrien winced. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" He bent down and began collecting the papers. Alya squinted at him, recovering from her shock, and bent down to pick things up.

"Wow, Adrien, you move so quietly. Someone ought to hang a bell around your neck so you can't sneak up on people like that!" She watched his face carefully, smirking a little when his cheeks reddened slightly and nervousness danced at the edge of his expression. 

"Ha... Um... Hey, Alya what were you doing hiding in the bushes anyway?" He asked, looking down at the papers he had picked up. A couple things grabbed his attention. His name, bolded, circled and triple underlined and a header: Chat Noir's identity. He gulped audibly as he raised his eyes to meet Alya's.

"Why, I was waiting for you! Chat Noir." She grinned at the absolutely caught look on his face.

-

Plagg hated leaving Adrien to the fox's mercy, but he had just seen Ladybug run past the bushes into the school and he needed to talk to Tikki as soon as possible. Before Adrien could stumble his way through trying to cover up what Alya had found, Plagg zipped up out of his pocket, winked at her and then dissappeared through the wall of the school chasing that little pink bag to the tune of Adrien frustratedly calling his name.

It didn't take long for him to find an appropriate moment to jump into Marinette's purse. Tikki squeaked at his sudden appearance.

"Sorry to just barge in on you Sugarcube but we've got a problem." Tikki collected herself quickly, her face morphing into an expression of sheer annoyance.

"Oh we definitely have a problem. Just what game is your holder playing? I know he knows who Ladybug is, so why is he trying to confuse her? I thought he wanted her to know who he was?" Plagg held his arms up placatingly.

"Tikki, it's about Hawkmoth." The red bug paused in her rant, her eyes growing wide again at the somber serious tone in Plaggs voice. "Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth."

"What?" She whispered. "But thats-"

"My holder's father, yeah. I found the entrance to where he stores the Akumas last night. I couldn't find Nooroo, but I'm sure that just means he keeps her locked away." Tikki's antennae drooped.

"Was there any sign of Duusuu?" Plagg shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but he has his wife encased in a glass coffin below the house. She's laying on a bed of white feathers so it seems likely." The kwamis were silent for a moment, contemplating the horrors of the situation.

"You're going to have to bring Wayzz to the house. He's the only one of us that can sense other kwamis nearby." Tikki said finally breaking the silence. 

"I don't know if it will work, he and Master Fu already came to the house once. Granted Wayzz was only out in Adrien's room but he didn't say anything if he felt their presence nearby." Plagg sighed. "I'm gonna talk to them today."

"I'll go with you, if you want. I need to talk to him about Marinette's compromised identity anyway. We can go while our kids are on their date. We wont be in the miracle box so we can always hurry back to them if there's an akuma." Tikki floated over, wrapping her arm around Plagg, he leaned into her side.

"It's not fair, Tikki. Why did I have to be the kwami of bad luck? How am I going to tell my kid about this? He's already depressed. His dad neglects him, witholds emotional contact when he does see him, ties up his free time with a million activities to prevent him from spending time with people who would emotionally bond with him. And occasionally refuses to let him do things even when his schedule allows for it just to demonstrate his absolute control over my kids life. It's abuse, Tikki. And now this guy is the literal supervillain we've been fighting against. The guy who taunted my kid's friend for wanting to throw him a birthday party is the same guy who used dark magic on that same friend to make him hurt my kid and everyone he cares for. And the guy is his father! My kid still holds out hope that their relationship will improve when his dad stops grieving the loss of his mom, but his mom is down there. In Hawkmoth's lair, encased in some sort of weird glass coffin shrine. This is going to break him Tikki. I'm almost sure of it." 

Tikki's heart broke watching Plagg's eyes swim with tears. It always seemed to go this way with black cats. Something always happened that her partner couldn't save them from, and despite all his bluster it killed him to watch the kids suffer.

"We'll think of something, stinky sock. He wont be alone. He has you, and me, and my kid, and Trixx and Wayzz and Pollens kids. Not to mention all the new heros that have been tested out lately. Even if we need to give every single other miraculous out to one of his friends, we'll make sure he has the support he needs. You wont have to take care of him alone this time." She hugged him harder.

-

Marinette had waited by the door to the classroom until the warning bell rang, but there was still no sign of Alya or Adrien. It was strange. Alya was never late unless there was an akuma. The last thing Marinette needed was for her to be sick today. She caught Nino's arm as he walked into the classroom.

"Sup, dudette?" He said, removing a headphone from his ear.

"Hey Nino. Have you seen Alya today? She's almost never late." Nino, nodded.

"Ch'yah she and Adrien were talking out front the school. They said they'd be in soon." Marinette's face blanched. That couldn't be good. 

"Thanks Nino!" She took off at a run, unknowingly catching the attention of one Chloe Bourgeois.

-

Alya had her hands on her hips looking at a sheepish Adrien with a less-than-impressed expression.

"Look, dude, she's my best friend. You need to be upfront with her or you're gonna fuck this up. She's liked you for a long time and she doesn't play games." Adrien nodded.

"I will, I promise. I care about her too Alya."

"Good, and Adrien?" Marinette skidded out the front door looking wildly around for her renegade bff. "If you hurt her, I'll have Anansi rip your arms off."

"Alya!!!" Marinette yelled, appalled, looking for all the world like she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Understood." Adrien laughed. Alya winked at him, kissed Marinette on the cheek and walked into the building. Marinette buried her face in her hands.

"Oh my god I'm gonna kill her" She softly shrieked into her hands. Adrien, who hadn't been doing a good job keeping a straight face, laughed outright at this.

"It's okay Marinette. She just cares about you. I get it."

"She's a menace!" Marientte continued in the same tone. Adrien wrapped his arms around her.

"Would it help if I had Nino threaten you over my virtue?" He snorted. "Ooh better yet, Chloe." Marinette laughed weakly at this, causing Adrien to grin in triumph. She peeked out from behind her fingers, her face bright red and her eyes wide at the familiar contact.

"I can't believe she did that." His grin widened.

"Don't fret, Marinette. Despite threats of bodily dismemberment, I am still looking forward to our date tonight." He didn't know Marinette's face could get redder, but it did. She was just about the color of her suit. She was smiling though, so that was good.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" An unwelcome voice screeched from the entrance to the school. "A DATE?!? WITH DUPAIN-CHENG?!?! UNNACCEPTABLE!" 

Marinette and Adrien turned towards Chloe's furious face just in time to see the akuma land on her sunglasses.

-

"Tikki!" Marinette whispered to her bag as she ran down the hallway looking for a place to transform. "I thought you were supposed to be the kwami of GOOD luck! What is even happening right now? Did I do something to piss Plagg off? Did he curse me?" She stepped into an empty classroom, locking it behind her."Because if so, I am absolutely ready to apologize for whatever it was. I will full on beg for his forgiveness if needed... I will buy him a literal mountain of cheese if that's what it takes-." She stopped as she opened her bag and noticed 2 sets of eyes staring back at her, one of them a very familiar green.

"A mountain of cheese, you say?" Plagg asked, a grin on his tiny black face. "Sorry Sugar cube, duty calls." He blew a kiss to Tikki, bowed to Marinette and phased quickly through the wall.

Marinette and Tikki looked at eachother for a moment.

"Nevermind, we'll talk later. Spots On, Tikki, hurry."


	10. Chapter 10

"Hello Princess Envy. I'm Hawkmoth." A low, compelling voice spoke to Chloe Bourgeois, her vision tinted pink by the luminous butterfly apparation. "It seems your classmate gets everything you want, artistic talent, loving parents, and now the affections of the boy you love. It's just not fair is it?"

"No... It's not." Chloe growled back, fighting the response.

"Well fear not my dear, for I will give you the ability to take what you want, in return you'll get me what I want as well, Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous." Chloe visibly struggled a moment more, gritting her teeth against the words that wanted to leave her lips. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and her expression relaxed into one of subservience.

"Of course, Hawkmoth, I won't fail you." In a flash Chloe was engulfed by the eerie purple light.

\- 

"Dammit Plagg!" Adrien whispered furiously from his hiding place in the bushes. He had separated from Marinette as they ran, doubling back to where the kwami had left him, not wanting to be in a different spot and waste time before he could transform. 

He watched as the purple light receded from Chloe, revealing her Akumatized form. Her skin was a pale green contrasting with her dark green hair, now worn in pigtails reminiscent of Marinette's. Her suglasses were a dark purple from the Akuma inside them and had grown to completely cover her eyes. Her outfit had been replaced with a sweeping high-low gown of black and green, a silver tiara sat atop her head. 

Adrien stepped back involuntarily, and the bushes rustled. Chloe's head snapped toward the movement a smile breaking out over her face that sent a chill down Adrien's spine.

"Oh, Adrikins.. you will be mine!" She leapt over the bushes, landing directly in front of him, and reached up to pull her glasses down. Her eyes were green swirls and the pattern rotated slowly ovee her iris. As she made eye contact with him, Adrien felt his thoughts go foggy. He lost his balance slightly, but then the fog cleared, and he looked up certain of only one thing: he was in love with Chloe. 

Plagg zipped around the corner just as Adrien dropped to one knee, kissing the back of her hand.

"Oh no, not again!" The kwami whined, hiding behind some leaves. 

Chloe smiled, looping her arm through Adrien's and walking haughtily into the school.

-

Ladybug ran through the school, attempting to get back to Adrien as fast as she could. Unfortunately the akuma had apparently been spotted already so the halls were a mess of students filing out for safety and the congestion was definitely hindering her progress.

"Out of the way please!" She hollered jumping over some of the younger students. "Please move aside! Can anyone tell me where the akuma was last spotted!"

"Ladybug!" A chorus of voices called as she slid into the open air commons. She paused looking over at her classmates, many of whom she had called on to bear miraculous of their own, all huddled together looking at her hopefully.

"Do you need any help?"  
"What can we do?"  
"Who has been Akumatized?"

The questions came rapid fire, and Marinette's heart clenched in joy at how willing her friends were to jump into the fray.

"I don't know yet if Chat and I will need help, but stay safe but nearby just in case and I'll find you. Chloe Bourgeois was akumatized. I don't yet know what her new form is. But thank you, all of you." She swung out her yoyo to escape, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

Ladybug, I'm sorry but that's not possible." It was Sabrina, looking at her in concerned confusion. "Chloe can't be Akumatized." Ladybug recalled her yoyo.  
"What do you mean? I saw it happen as I swung by on patrol." Sabrina shook her head.

"You must be mistaken. I've seen Chloe shake off an akuma. The day I got turned into Miraculer. Hawkmoth had targeted Chloe first when she was upset at not being chosen to help you take down the sentimonster, but she wanted so badly to be Queen Bee that she forced him out. " Ladybug gaped at Sabrina's earnest expression.

"Nobody has managed that, not even Mlle. Bustier could do it." She said, warily.

"I swear to you she did. I'm not exaggerating for her benifit, I promise. If she really has been Akumatized then something is wrong." Sabrina's sincerity brooked no room for skepticism. A little abashed, Ladybug nodded processing this development.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll get to the bottom of it." She spun her yoyo out again, launching herself onto the top of the school. Once there she could hear screaming and akuma-enhanced evil laughter from the far side of the building, but she hesitated to go that direction.

"Chloe shrugged off an akuma?" Marinette found herself pacing a bit as she muttered to herself. "If that's true... and Sabrina seems to believe it... then what's different this time?Could it be because she isn't Queen Bee anymore? I mean I guess this is the first time she's been Akumatized since heroes day, which doesn't count since those feelings were manufactured by dark cupid. Come to think of it she's the only weilder from the original team that hasn't been genuinely akumatized since becoming a hero other than Chat and I." She looked again towards the screaming, a guilty frown on her face. It was a risk, but she nodded to herself and swung off away from the scuffle out over Paris towards Master Fu's house.

-

"Marinette. What brings you here today?" Master Fu greeted, stepping out from the back of his shop to meet her.

"I need the bee miraculous." She replied, a determined look on her face. His eyebrows rose in surprise. 

"Are you sure about this?" 

"Yes. I made a mistake in taking it away from her." Fu continued to look skeptical, but opened the miracle box for her. She grabbed the bee, and met his gaze. "I would like to trial run allowing her to keep it. If something goes wrong I will be responsible personally for retrieving it." 

If possible, Fu's eyebrows rose further on his forehead, but he nodded. His expression clearly skeptical but trusting. Marinette bowed to him and ran from the room, transforming quickly and racing back across the city.

-

"Marineeeeeette... Come out, come out wherever you aaaaare. You have something I want." Princess Envy stalked the street outside the school. Adrien walked in step with her, their arms entwined, an adoring expression on his face. Ladybug touched down behind her, the thump drawing the akuma's attention. 

"Queen Bee! What happened to you?" Chloe shuddered visibly at the address.

"Nnnnggh. Queen Bee isn't here anymore. It's Princess Envy now." The words seemed to tear themselves from Chloe, her struggle to not say them evident from a distance.

"Queens outrank princesses..." Adrien said dreamily from her arm, his expression flickering slightly with Chloe's hesitation. Chloe glanced at him before returning her gaze to Ladybug. More tears spilled down from beneath her glasses, she was shaking.

"You said I couldn't be Queen Bee anymore."

"I'm sorry. I thought I was protecting you by taking it away. I thought having your identity compromised would make you more of a target for Hawkmoth. I was wrong." Ladybug frowned softly, holding out the Bee miraculous. The akuma stepped forward greedily, but Ladybug closed her hand. "Chloe Bourgeois is Queen Bee, not Princess Envy." 

Chloe shook harder tears freely streaming down her face now as a purple butterfly symbol appeared in front of her. Marinette could practically hear Hawkmoth angrily ordering Chloe to fight her.

"No!" Chloe yelled, grabbing the sides of her own face. "I'll never give you the Bee miraculous! It's MINE!" 

In a movement so quick that Ladybug almost missed it, Chloe tore the sunglasses from her face, throwing them to the ground where they broke. 

"Ladybug! Catch it!" Chloe yelled again, her eyes screwed shut tight as she collapsed to the ground to prevent herself from following Hawkmoth's demands. Marinette shook off her shock and captured the butterfly beating a hasty retreat. One miraculous ladybug charm later and Adrien snapped out of it, staring at the reverted Chloe in shock, concern and no small amount of respect.

"Chlo, are you okay?" He asked, kneeling next to her and wrapping an arm around her. 

"Oh, Adrikins, I'm so sorry." She sobbed, turning into his embrace. After a moment she looked up at Ladybug. "I tried to fight it. I didn't want to listen to him."

"I know. It's okay Queen Bee. I'm the one who should be sorry." Marinette crouched down, once again holding out the Bee miraculous. "Chloe Bourgeois, this is the miraculous of the Bee. It grants you the power of subjection. You will use it for the greater good." Chloe looked at it in confusion.

"But, the akuma is gone." Ladybug smiled softly.

"I want you to keep it." Adrien and Chloe's eyes widened in identical expressions of surprise. "With your identity compromised you need Pollen's protection more, not less. I'm sorry it took you being made vulnerable to Hawkmoth's machinations for me to see that." 

Chloe hiccuped softly, gingerly picking up the miraculous and cradling it gently against her chest. A small flash of light and Pollen appeared.

"My Queen!" She cried flying over to nuzzle Chloe's cheek. Chloe chuckled wetly, cuddling the kwami.

"I'm trusting you, Chloe. Hawkmoth may try to take it from you now that you have it full time. It's dangerous." Ladybug said quietly, her serious tone cutting through the reunion.

"I understand." Chloe replied, meeting her gaze evenly. "I won't let you down." 

"Good." Marinette smiled, her earrings gave a warning beep, and she launched herself into the air. Leaving the pair of stunned blondes behind.

-

Marinette touched down behind the bushes of the school, unknowingly right next to where Plagg was still hiding.

"Spots off Tikki." She smiled nervously at the little red bug as she materialized. Tikki met her gaze with a smile of her own.

"Don't worry, Marinette, you did the right thing. What Chloe did today was impressive, and definitely worthy of a miraculous." Marinette sighed in relief.

"I've been messing up so frequently lately, I was worried this might be the wrong decision too." She said, choking up a little. Tikki frowned in concern.

"Oh, Marinette. I'm sorry. I haven't meant to be so hard on you lately. I've just been worried is all." Marinette sniffled a little.

"It's okay, Tikki. It's been a rough week." The kwami flew up to hug her. "And I didn't see Chat once this fight. I hope nothing's wrong."

"Ah, that's my fault actually." A voice said from the bushes making Marinette jump. Plagg flew out from behind a leaf. "He's fine, I just couldn't get back to him in time before you had fixed everything."

"Oh, that makes sense. Why were you all the way over here with Tikki though? Does Chat know where you are?" Plagg's ears drooped a little and he looked to Tikki for help 

"Plagg came to ask if I would come with him tonight to see Master Fu. We both have things we need to talk about with him, and we thought we might go together. It actually works out well that Chloe has a miraculous now that way you can get ready for your date instead of coming with me and Paris won't be unprotected in case something happens while we're separated." Marinette looked taken aback for a minute.

"Is there something wrong? Something I can't know about?" The kwamis looked at each other.

"I promise we won't keep you out of the loop for long." Tikki said reassuringly. "We just need to talk to Master Fu about it first." Marinette nodded, still looking concerned.

"I should probably be getting back before my kid freaks out." Plagg said, starting to float away.

"Oh, Plagg, wait!" Marinette reached into her bag. "Here! I started carryjng these after Style Queen" she held out a kwami-sized pastry. "A camembert cheese danish, I cooked up the recipe especially for you." Plaggs eyes widened and his lower lip wobbled a little.

"For me?" He grabbed the pastry, looking at it like it was the most precious thing in the world. "Thank you, Ladybug." Marinette grinned as the cat shoved the whole thing in his mouth, groaning gratefully. Tikki giggled.

Just then a figure burst around the corner, causing both kwamis to dodge into the bushes. Adrien's eyes followed the movement as he skidded to a stop. He raised an eyebrow at Marinette.

"Was that-?" He began, but Marinette stopped him with a finger held up to his mouth.

"Nuh huh. You may have figured me out, Adrien Agreste, but you don't get to know everything. It's not safe." Adrien smiled against her finger, the sensation drawing her attention to the fact that she was touching his mouth. She jumped and pulled her hand back as though it had been scalded, glaring at her traitorous fingers. Adrien raised his hands innocently.

"Alright, alright. I get it. Fair enough." He grinned again. "That was really cool what you did for Chloe back there. I know it can't have been an easy decision with your history with her." Marinette frowned.

"I think she's certainly earned it. I've never seen someone fight the akumatization so hard before." Adrien nodded.

"How do you think Chat Noir is gonna handle the permanent addition?" Marinette blew her breath out through her lips in an exasperated raspberry.

"I'm sure we'll work it out. Honestly he gets along with her better than the rest of us do. I'd almost think he knew her outside the mask." Adrien's face went a little blank at this. They sat in silence for a beat or two more when the school bell went off again startling them into action.

"Shoot, I almost completely forgot about class." Marinette exclaimed smacking herself in the forehead. Adrien chuckled, holding his hand out in an aggrandizing manner.

"After you, buggaboo." Marinette rolled her eyes and lead the way into the school, completely missing the way Adrien hung back to open his shirt and let Plagg hide.


End file.
